Lightning Science, Engineering, and Economic Implications for Developing Countries

Chandima Gomes is Professor of high-voltage engineering; Chair, ESKOM Power Plant Engineering Institute-HVAC; and Director, Centre of Excellence on High Voltage Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He is Chartered Engineer registered in UK, Professional Physicist in South Africa and Fellow of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE). He was Professor of electrical engineering and Researcher in high-voltage engineering and lightning protection at Universiti Putra Malaysia until October, 2018. Chandima was Founder of the Centre for Electromagnetics and Lightning Protection (CELP), Malaysia, and first Head of the Centre. He has held full-time/adjunct/visiting professorship and lectureship in physics, engineering and meteorology at universities based in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, USA, Australia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Zambia, Sweden, Colombia and Japan. He was Senior Adviser to the National Lightning Safety Institution (NLSI), USA, and Chief Adviser to African Centres for Lightning and Electromagnetics (ACLENet) based in Uganda and Adviser/Mentor to several other national lightning research/awareness centres in a few countries. He is Member of the TC81 of IEC 62305 – Protection against lightning, SABS TC 0067/SC 06 –Electricity distribution systems and components: Installation, and WG SANS 10313 - Protection against lightning - Physical damage to structures and life hazards. Chandima has conducted over 120 training programs in Lightning Protection and Electrical Safety in 12 countries so far. He has published over 300 international research papers and several books on his expertise. He obtained First Class Degree in Physics from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1993. He has done research for his Ph.D. (1999) and postdoctoral research on lightning protection and high voltage engineering at Uppsala University, Sweden. He is also an expert in power and energy, electromagnetic compatibility, sensing and processing technologies and industrial optimization.